How Much Time do you Lose to Your Smart Device?
Plano PTE Ltd., a Singaporean health tech company, has launched a website that tracks usage of tech devices to help people grasp how much of their lives they may spend on those smart devices. It utilizes state-of-the-art algorithms and the latest scientific research to let someone know the impact a device is having on their lives. The platform logged a massive influx of three thousand users within the first week of it going live. Users also spanned the globe, coming from diverse backgrounds as the US, Australia, and India.
Staggering Average Facts
Based on the data received, the site calculates that the average 21-year-old individual loses as much as eleven years of their lives on smart devices. Average screen time in Singapore worked out to around eight hours a day, a total of fifteen years over an average lifespan. In India, the numbers are slightly different, with the average user being connected to a smart device screen for six hours a day, resulting in nine years wasted throughout their average lifespan.
Potential Impacts on a Society
These findings underline how much electronic device dependence can impact human social behavior. The massive amount of usage comes from users connecting on social media. Evidence from recent studies suggests that the incidence of anxiety and depression, along with severe physical conditions such as myopia and eye strain, may be due in part to the overuse of smart devices. As the volume of time users spend on tech increases, it is safe to assume that these related illnesses will similarly increase.
A Global Initiative for Change
Plano’s campaign, called “How Will You Spend Your Time,” aims to provide perspective on this device dependence and the potential impact on people’s lives. A short film bundled to communicate Plano’s message will explore how people react after realizing how much time they spend connected with smart devices. Plano’s Time Machine is currently available for the public to use, and it can even suggest daily changes that one can make to be less dependent on these devices.
